Masterchef (2010–…): Season 10, Episode 20 - One Pan Wonder - full transcript

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Gordon: Previously on "MasterChef"...

Pudding is delicious.
I just got to get you

- a little bit more refined. Good job.
- Thank you, Chef.

You should have your Indian
mother-in-law taste this.

It'll turn her hair blonde.

Gordon: You're like this rough diamond

that's come to life in this competition.

Honestly, it looks like

it's just come out of a top restaurant.

Thank you.

Gordon: That puree's one of
the best I've ever tasted.



It's really good.

It's got that good old
Irish pub feel to it.

Delicious.

It's a sausage challenge
and you're presenting it

like it's a pasta challenge. It's not.

Joe: The sausage... I
don't know what to say.

- It's terrible.
- Gordon: Damn.

Jamie, unfortunately, tonight
your dish didn't hit the mark.

Thank y'all so much.

Tonight, it's a mystery box challenge...

- Aar?n: Hey.
- with a special guest judge...

- Daphne Oz.
- Oh, my God!

and a season ten twist...

Tonight, every one of you
will be facing elimination.



...as the top eight fight
to keep their aprons.

Just one hour to make
us one incredible dish.

Your timing is off on that bacon.

Joe: Come on!

She looks like she's
in a total tailspin.

Hold up, guys! Stop the clock.

Gordon thinks he can do this...

in 30 minutes.

- This is just beautiful.
- It's really good.

I said the challenge was hard enough,

but you screwed it up even more.

The home cook that is
going home tonight is...

Just eight home cooks left, guys.

- ( sighs )
- Top eight.

- Here we go.
- Whoo!

- Straight to our stations.
- Welcome, guys.

Here we go. Here we go.

Ooh, mystery box.

- I love a good mystery box.
- Oh, my goodness.

Top eight "MasterChef" is
just an unbelievable feeling.

It makes me proud.

You sure that's it? Just eight?

- Yes, Chef.
- Just eight.

There's no doubt that all of
you guys have come a long way.

- Sarah?
- Chef.

We saw you kind of blossom
through this process

and really find your culinary voice.

Who is the driving force for you?

I have a daughter who's looking
at me to be a strong role model.

Dorian, you can see it in your eyes

just how important
every minute of this is.

- Yeah.
- Who are you doing this for?

I have to do it for me.

Opportunities don't
come often like this.

I think that you need to blossom

into the level of cuisine
that you're creating,

and I could see you winning this.

Thank you.

Now, I know that you're
thinking right now

that tonight you'll be
fighting for immunity.

But you thought wrong.

Tonight, every one of you
will be facing elimination.

- God.
- ( laughs )

Dorian: Are you kidding me?

I can't believe someone
is going home tonight.

Please put on your black aprons.

I'm just hoping that,

you know, I'm able to survive it.

You'll have to face tonight,
a huge mystery box challenge

presented by an even
bigger mystery guest.

She's a New York Times
best-selling cookbook author.

She hosted "The Chew" for seven seasons.

Oh, God.

Please welcome Daphne Oz.

- Micah: Wow.
- Hi.

- Hi.
- Welcome, my dear.

- Oh, my God.
- Welcome, lovely.

- Good to see you.
- Thank you.

- You look amazing.
- Shari: I'm stoked.

Like, I've been following
Daphne for years.

Not only is she
young, she's a mother...

we have all that in common.

But she's also a great cook.

- Welcome to the MasterChef family.
- Thank you.

First of all, congratulations.
Number four on the way.

Number four on the
way. Can you believe it?

Nick, Daphne was younger than you

- when she wrote her first cookbook.
- That's amazing.

But I wasn't top eight. This
is amazing. This is so cool.

Right, are you guys ready to find
out what's under this mystery box?

All: Yes, Chef.

On the count of three, lift those boxes.

One, two, three!

- Lift!
- Aar?n: Hey.

That's right. A single cast-iron pan.

And in this challenge, you're going
to have to create an incredible dish,

blow our minds, using this one pan.

Or as every working
parent likes to call them,

one pot wonders.

Bri: I'm a little bit worried,

because the a cast-iron skillet,

I don't actually have one at home.

I don't cook in one pan.

And this is an elimination challenge,

and someone is going home.

Well, to help inspire you,

I'm gonna show you how I make

one of my favorite one pot meals,

because it's also
incredibly challenging.

Everyone, please come up here.

Brilliant. Sounds amazing.

Micah: Having Daphne Oz
here, it's really awesome.

I mean, she started out in college,

almost the same age as me, when
she wrote her first cookbook.

So, I think it's cool
to finally meet somebody

who is as passionate as
I am at such a young age.

I'm gonna do a quick
chicken thigh dinner.

We eat a lot of chicken in our family.

So, I'm gonna put together
some nice spice blend.

So, I'm gonna use
cracked coriander tonight.

Step one of what you can do
with a cast-iron skillet, right?

Mrs. Oz crushing frickin'
things with cast-iron?

She's my type of gal.

I'm also throwing fresh thyme into this,

really building that depth of flavor.

She is such a boss. And
as I'm watching her cook,

I'm getting inspired by the way

that she's putting down these flavors.

I can't wait to see what happens.

I'm actually gonna just
throw them right into the pan

and let the pan do the work.
This is one of those meals

where the less you do, the
better off you are going to be.

And then a nice handful of
beautiful, fresh broccoli rabe.

I want char.

I want everything
infusing this vegetable.

Now I'm gonna start with my biscuits.

This is all-purpose flour,

cornmeal, baking powder.

Now, the best part, the butter.

Okay, pop out two out of this guy.

These are gonna cook fast.

That's the other beauty
of this whole dish.

It comes together in 20 minutes flat.

An actually critical step
of this dish is adding

about eight cloves of unpeeled garlic.

You get an incredible
roasted garlic, creamy sweet,

flavorful addition to this meal.

And then that pops right into the oven.

Watching Daphne definitely
gives you an idea

of how you can make
this one skillet meal.

But she's also been doing
this for a really long time,

so I know this is gonna
be a hard challenge,

because cast-iron, it is tricky.

- Nice.
- See that? You have your sweet roasted garlic

and your beautifully cooked
up biscuits right there.

But now, I promised you
sweet roasted garlic.

Okay, look how beautifully these
just pop right out of their shells.

And we're gonna pull up any bits of that

little bit of chicken at the bottom.

Lay it on top. Okay.

And then a little bit of the micro green

just to give it that colorful touch.

- Beautiful.
- And that is how a MasterChef makes a one pot wonder.

- That's beautiful.
- Awesome job.

- Gordon: That looks amazing.
- Guys, tell me what you think.

- Amazing.
- I love how you're reinforcing all the flavors

from that one pot. I love that.

- Shall we?
- Thank you.

- You ready?
- Beautiful.

So, you will have just one hour,

one pot, to make us one incredible dish.

And tonight, the very best dish

will receive something
extremely special.

Their recipe will
officially be published

on the Family Circle website.

- Wow.
- Now check this out.

I love "Family Circle" magazine.

So, getting a recipe
featured on the website

would be incredible.

I definitely need to nail this

and make sure that my
head is 100% in this game.

This is America's best-selling
food and family magazine,

reaching millions of readers each month.

- Right, let's have 60 minutes on the clock.
- Whew!

All right, guys, your 60 minutes

starts... now!

Yes! Be careful.

Okay.

Yeah, I'm excited to cook in one pan.

It's something that I've done before.

So, for me, I'm going to be focusing

on that development of flavor.

I already know that I'm gonna
knock this out of the park.

Thai chilis. Ooh! Sorry.

You dropped a potato.

Three minutes gone.

Who's still in there?

I'll try that. Okay,
what else do I need?

Um...

I've made a meal in one
pan many, many times,

so I feel confident.

My biggest worry is that
plating has been my weakness,

and I also want to manage
the time effectively.

I don't wanna be the
usual Subha running around.

So, this is a tough one

because you really want to use that pan

and imply as much flavor as possible.

Daphne: Well, I think back
to all the sort of most

classic uses of a cast-iron skillet,

you're thinking about stews
and soups, the corn bread,

- and you can fry in them.
- Right, what you don't do

with the cast-iron pan
is sear a piece of fish,

sear a filet. You wanna build up flavor.

You wanna use the pot
to its best benefit

- in creating a complete dish.
- Sure.

Calm and collected today.

I'm gonna be making a clam chowder.

It's something that I've
made since I was a little kid.

So we used to go out
and just sort of dig

in the mud flats for hours and hours.

It's something that's
easy to make at home,

but I need to knock it out of the park.

Come on.

I'm making a filet mignon

with a fondant sweet
potato and broccolini.

I'm very comfortable cooking a steak.

Filet mignon is one of my
husband's favorite dishes.

I'm Texas born and raised.

There's no way I'm going
home on a cast-iron skillet.

Guys, ten minutes gone,
just under 50 minutes to go.

- Bri, give us an insight. What are you doing?
- Hi.

So I'm gonna do a salmon with
a corn puree, bacon candied

to kind of make it a little more
fun, and roasted baby carrots.

So the dish sounds simple.
So make sure you've got

- that elevated comfort on there as well.
- Exactly.

And how are you gonna make
this corn puree stand out?

I started off by sweating some shallots,

and then I'm flavoring with salt.

Food dream, give us an
insight. Remind us again.

I wanna work in a top-notch kitchen,

- and then eventually owning my own restaurant.
- Wow.

Bri: I'm currently a cocktail server,

but that's not my dream.
I really need MasterChef

to kind of help kickstart
my culinary career.

- I love bacon and corn. That is yummy.
- Wow. Absolutely.

- Thank you.
- 15 minutes gone, 45 minutes to go.

- Se?or Micah. What are you making?
- What's going on, Chef?

Cracked pepper crusted filet mignon,

braised kale with cipollinis and bacon,

and then saut?ed fingerling
potatoes with a bourbon shallot sauce.

- So steak and potatoes?
- No, sir.

- Steak, potatoes.
- There's steak and there's potatoes.

Right. I just have to say something.

We were just talking
before among the judges.

When they asked me what I wouldn't do,

the one thing I said is sear
a filet in a cast-iron pan.

You're taking a big risk
here, Micah, you know that?

Chef, I... the only way I
can make it to the finale

is by taking risks, and
I'm not here to be safe.

Micah: Joe doesn't
understand my concept.

My flavors will speak for themselves.

A good chef doesn't need
to always justify his food.

His food justifies itself.

Your timing is off on that bacon.

You're burn the bacon and the garlic

and the onions are gonna be raw.

Good luck.

Gordon: Just under 40 minutes to go.

Let's go, guys.

- Subha-doo, what's up, buddy? What are you making?
- Joe.

I am making my very
favorite... shrimp biryani.

It's one of the classic dish in India.

My sister taught me how to make
this dish, so it's very special.

You will see me very calm today.

- Joe: You're very calm.
- I'm not panicking.

- Today is your day, Subha.
- Yes.

Good luck.

Beautiful.

- Wow, it smells good over here.
- Wow. It does. What are you doing?

Okay, so what I'm gonna be
doing is a Chinese frittata.

My girlfriend's Chinese.

I've gone to China, met her family,

her grandmas, I mean, everything.

So, I'm swinging for the fence

because I want to honor my girlfriend

- in this competition.
- That's very sweet.

- But, I mean, frittata we eat for brunch.
- Yeah, yes.

It seems a little bit simple,
especially on a night like tonight.

This is gonna be elevated in a
way you've never had a frittata.

The sauces, I'm gonna
be doing a miso, anchovy,

black bean puree. I
mean, there's gonna be

- a lot of bold flavors.
- Thank goodness for that.

First of all, you need to get yourself

- in the top seven.
- Yes, Chef.

Young man, 37 minutes to get there.

- Thank you.
- Good luck.

- Good luck, Noah.
- Thank you.

Subha, do you have bay leaf?

- Bay leaf, yes.
- Can I take a couple from you?

I am going
to do chole...

Indian chickpea curry,

with a garlic naan and a cucumber salad.

I returned to the Indian roots.

I've stayed away from them for awhile.

But this is who I am. This
is what I cook at home.

My biggest worry is just timing.

I mean, when you're cooking
everything in one dish,

timing is crucial.

- Oh, boy, Dorian. Good evening.
- Hello.

How are you? Me and my
daughter watch you all the time.

- Thank you so much.
- So it's definitely a treat to have you here.

I am making peach chicken.

My family loves peach cobbler,

so I take those flavors and
put them in a savory dish.

- Daphne: That's so smart.
- Now, what would a quarter

million dollars do to Dorian?

It will just open up so many doors

that I haven't been
able to open for myself

because I'm learning being
here, I have to be first.

If I'm not first with myself, then
I can't be anything to anybody else.

Daphne: I think all
moms struggle with that.

You got 34 minutes. Get
yourself into top seven.

- I am.
- Thank you. Good luck.

- Sarah.
- Hi, Chef.

- What are you making?
- Fondant sweet potatoes,

and then I'm gonna make that
beautiful filet with a pan sauce.

This dish seems pretty straight-up.

I just wanna make sure that
I'm able to elevate it enough.

If you can whip up an
incredible, evocative pan sauce

and really kind of make
it pop, that could work.

I think the biggest part of
this riddle is let us feel

- like it's cooked for two hours.
- Okay.

- You know what I mean?
- Yes, Chef.

Sarah: It's a lot
trickier than it might seem

to come up with a comprehensive dish

in 60 minutes using one skillet.

And someone is going home,

but there's no way I'm not
getting into the top seven.

- ( grunts )
- Gordon: Wow.

What a majestic array of dishes.

Bri, she's doing a take on a
sort of corn and bacon puree

with a roasted salmon.

- Now it sounds a little bit dull.
- Here's the problem.

A half hour has gone by, and there's
nothing cooking in that cast-iron pan yet.

Daphne: Well, I wonder if that's
why she likes salmon a lot.

- It's like a ten-minute cook. A twelve-minute cook.
- Sure.

So, Micah and Sarah, they're going
to be making steak and potatoes.

A lot of meat and potatoes happening.

I think just searing
things in and out of a pan,

I don't know, is that
defeating the purpose?

It's tricky to be able to do
all this, one hour, one pan.

Are you kidding me?
It's, like, really hard.

- Come on, I could do this in half the time.
- If you could it, then do it.

Don't say that to me, because
I'm going to go and do it.

Hey, hold up, guys. Stop the clock.

Get this. Gordon thinks he can do

a one pot wonder in 30 minutes.

- You're making a mistake.
- Gordon, your time starts now!

- Whoo!
- Aar?n: Don't make us look bad.

Why is he doing this to himself?

- Where is he cooking? Behind us?
- Oh, my God.

That's gonna be awesome.

It's just... it's literally not enough
time to do anything really good.

Whoa, he's hustling. Oh!

No scrambled eggs, Gordon. Come on.

It'll be interesting to
see what he pulls out.

It is a treat to watch him cook.

You got this, Chef.

Guys, time is flying. Control your heat.

Be mindful of your temperature, Bri.

You don't want to scorch that skin.

( bleep )

Oh, my gosh.

The skin stuck to
the cast-iron skillet.

So now I have to make
a whole 'nother salmon,

and I haven't even started
my roasted baby carrots.

I'm freaking out.

This is gonna take so much extra time.

If I don't execute the
salmon perfectly, I'm done.

Man, Bri. What is she doing?

It looks like Bri
overcooked her first salmon.

Totally just went back to the pantry

- to get another piece of salmon.
- Ooh.

She looks like she's in a
total tailspin right now.

- I hope she can pull it off.
- Let's go, Bri.

I definitely didn't
want to serve the judges

that horrible-looking piece,

so this next piece of
salmon has to work out.

Potatoes or rice?

I'm gonna go with the rice.

Let's go, Chef Ramsay.

Don't ruin that hair.

Micah: I'm scared to
see what he's gonna do.

The dude only had 30
minutes. We had an hour.

But then again, he has,
like, 17 Michelin stars,

so I'm sure he can pull something out.

My first time seeing it in the flesh.

- Joe: What are you making?
- Gordon: So I'm gonna go for

a lemon pepper chicken pot pie.

So, it'll be a nice short crust on top,

but the problem is
getting that pastry cooked

and the chicken cooked at
the same time, as you know.

In the 19 minutes that are
remaining, may I remind you.

- Yes. Defying the odds.
- Good luck.

- Thank you very much.
- Don't let us down.

Thank you, Daphne.

Aar?n: There you go, Noah.

I'm feeling awesome, actually, now.

The flavors are coming together great.

My egg mixture is spot-on.

100%, this dish is gonna
make me in the top seven.

All right, Nicholas,
what do you got going on?

I'm making a clam chowder, Chef.

Okay, pretty straightforward.

What about yours is
gonna be so compelling?

I want all the flavors from the
ocean. I don't want to lose any.

- I'm gonna leave a couple whole ones on the plate.
- Cool.

So, one thing that could
potentially go wrong

is you can overcook them
and they could be rubbery.

- Yes.
- So you're gonna be very mindful of that.

- Absolutely, Chef.
- Best of luck, young man.

Nick: This dish, despite
sounding really simple,

I think is strangely ambitious,

just because typically
with a clam chowder,

you wanna let it sit for awhile.

So, to actually marry all those
flavors in an hour is tricky.

And I'm a little bit nervous, you know,

that time will be
against me on this one.

- Joe: All right, Subha, what's going on?
- Yes.

So, the biryani is already in.

I have my lovely apple
and cucumber salad.

- My mouth is on fire.
- Oh, my God, that is so hot.

Joe: You should really try
and taste this to make sure.

Yeah, I'm gonna put some cream.

Subha, if you win MasterChef,
what are you gonna do?

I'm gonna use the
platform to help people.

I was extreme Type 2
diabetes five years ago.

- Oh, my goodness.
- And by eating the good nutritious food

and food cooked well, people can
actually heal many, many diseases.

Right now my sugar is
perfectly controlled.

- That's amazing.
- If you can try this piece.

- You think it's gonna be better?
- Oh, my God.

- Yeah, definitely.
- Joe: All right.

- Oh, sorry.
- Joe: Yeah.

- It's just green apples and red apple.
- Mmm. Yep.

- Thank you, Subha.
- Thank you.

So, Chef Ramsay is
making a chicken pot pie.

Problem is, how is he gonna
get it reduced and caramelized?

If he can really get
that developed flavor,

- I'd be really impressed.
- Would you let him know that you were really impressed?

No. Not over my dead body

I'd let him know that I was
impressed with anything he did.

Aar?n: 15 minutes,
everyone. 15 minutes.

Dorian, what do you got going on?

I got some peach chicken going on.

Just trying to get my rice done.

Okay, now just be mindful
of how much you're opening

- and closing it.
- I'll leave it closed.

Best of luck.

All right, Micah. So,
you have your steak filet.

- Is that garlic or shallots in there? Are they burning?
- Shallots.

Whatever it is, it's
burning, you know that?

( groans ) Give me one moment.

Micah: My pan was too hot.

So, I throw my shallots
into that hot fat,

and they burn almost instantly.

And, of course, it's
right in front of Joe.

And he already thinks my
dish is gonna be trash.

I just wanna smash my head
into the table at this point,

because all I can hear is
him saying I told you so.

Micah, no.

It's all burnt. You
have to wipe out that pan

or whatever you put in there
is gonna taste burnt now.

Let's leave him. Good luck.

I'm going to prove Joe
wrong and really show

that I can bring that grace and elegance

and make steak and potatoes elevated.

Aar?n: All right, guys.

Just over nine minutes, everyone.

Aar?n: Let's go, Sarah!

The trickiest part of
this dish is the sauce.

I have to use this skillet

so that all of the flavors come through,

and it has to be elevated enough

for the MasterChef kitchen.

There's not really a lot of time left,

- but I have to nail this.
- Mmm. Okay, there we go.

Now we are cooking.

Come on, Mr. Rice.

Dorian: Elimination is on the line

and this rice will not cook.

I've never had rice do this before.

I can't go home just
because of uncooked rice.

Aar?n: All right, everyone,
just over three minutes, yes?

- Come on, Mr. Rice.
- Man, come on.

( groans )

- Under three minutes left.
- Aar?n: Let's go, Chef Ramsay!

Start thinking about
your plating, everybody.

Come on, Mr. Rice. Come on.

- I'm never cooking rice again.
- Let's go, Chef Ramsay!

We want to see MasterChef
level food here.

And as elegant as possible.

- He's kissing the oven.
- Aar?n: Man!

Oh, thank gosh.

- Perfect.
- There you go, Noah. Pick your best one.

Last minute. 60 seconds, come on!

Come on, Chef Ramsay! No excuses!

Let's go, Subha. You can do it, mijo.

Doesn't matter what you cook, just
matters what gets on the plate.

15 seconds!

I mean, he is waiting till
the last possible second.

- Joe: Come on!
- Aar?n: Let's go!

Ten, nine, eight, seven,

six, five, four,

three, two, one.

- Hands up.
- ( Daphne cheers )

Joe: Hands in the air!

- Good job, Chef.
- Seriously? Well done.

- I feel great about that.
- Man, that was tight.

Pastry could've been a little bit
thicker, but I was up against it time-wise.

Fingers crossed, this is the best

lemon chicken pot pie
ever in 30 minutes.

I had a little bit of a panic there

with that first salmon.

But I grabbed a new piece,
and it turned out beautifully.

Now it is time to see
what magic you could create

in one pot in one hour.

The first cook whose dish we'd
like to take a closer look at

actually only had 30 minutes.

- Yes.
- Come on up here with you dish.

- Yeah, Chef!
- Go get it, Chef.

- Ah!
- Man.

I made a delicious

lemon scented chicken pot pie.

30 minutes? Like, he's such a show-off.

He put leaves on his pie.

Aar?n: Man.

It kind of looks perfect.

- Wow.
- Ooh!

Joe: Give it a try, guys.

- It's really good.
- I mean, this is unreal.

Aside from the fact that
it's very, very good,

I'm actually a little bit surprised

at how you were able to do
that in that short of time.

- It feels like really it's been cooking for three hours.
- Right.

- Good job.
- Thank you.

Take your apron off. Let's
get to some serious matters.

That cast-iron was a tough challenge,

because 60 minutes sounds a long time,

but you can't fast-track
a beautiful slow cook.

So, I'm gonna take my
hats off to all of you.

Give yourselves a round
of applause, seriously.

Now, we need to taste all your dishes

and decide who's going home.

First up, let's start off with Bri.

Okay.

I'm excited. The salmon looks beautiful.

The skin is crispy, so I'm
feeling good about my dish.

I have a crispy salmon
with a corn puree,

candied bacon, roasted baby carrots,

and I pickled some shallots on top.

I could see a little bit of jeopardy.

- What happened?
- The skin stuck the first time.

But I started over, and I'm glad I did.

- Are you confident it's cooked inside?
- I am.

Shall we?

Bri, the salmon is raw.

Oh, shoot.

Oh, it's completely raw. Ooh-oh.

Dang it.

- The actual puree is delicious.
- Thank you.

The bizarre thing on
here are the carrots.

Listen to this.

( clacking )

The puree was delicious.

What I'm missing on
this plate, honestly?

The cast-iron challenge itself.

- I wanna see more char.
- Sure.

I wanna see the carrots themselves
get this nice blackening.

Okay.

- Thanks, Bri.
- Thank you.

This isn't just an immunity challenge.

Someone is going home.

And if your protein is raw,

it's pretty much an automatic out.

The next dish we would
like to taste further

would be from Miss Sarah.

Let's go, Sarah.

Sarah, please describe your dish.

So, I have a medium rare filet mignon

with saut?ed broccolini,

and a fondant sweet potato
with cabernet pan sauce.

You're making meat, potatoes,
and veg, which at this point,

I think we're looking
for more sophistication.

So, for me, it's all about that sauce.

So, you want a medium rare in here?

Yes.

And that it is.

- Very nice.
- Joe: Ooh, very nice.

- Aar?n: Man, that is beautiful.
- Daphne: Very nice.

It is kind of perfect in its simplicity.

The broccolini are both acidulated

and flavorful at the same time.

The pan sauce is rich
and good. You nailed it.

- Thank you so much.
- Yeah, considering you had one vessel

to cook everything, and I can taste

so many different techniques and
so many different layers of flavor,

- I love everything about it.
- Daphne: Yeah, I agree.

And I love the choice of sweet potato.

I thought that was really smart

because everything else on
this plate is very salty.

I think the sweet really
ties everything together.

- It was beautiful.
- Thank you so much.

- Well done.
- Great job, Sarah.

Making steak and potatoes
was definitely risky,

but they all loved it!

I'm pretty sure I'm gonna
be up on that balcony soon.

That looks awesome.

- Good job.
- Thanks. Thank you.

- Okay, Mr. Subha.
- All right, let's go, Subha.

and an apple, cucumber,
saffron, date salad.

Subha, I think this is
one of your best plating.

Thank you, Chef.

So, when did you fold in
the shrimp? At what point?

Just before I put it in the oven

for about 15 minutes.

It's delicious.

Okay, you have this incredible

DNA of flavor profile

that lights up this kitchen every time.

So, that's what kind
of power you deliver.

Coming from you, I'm very humbled.

- Thank you very much.
- Daphne: I agree.

I love the addition
of the textural plays

with the cashews and that shallot mix.

You should bag that, bottle that.

Whatever. It is so delicious.

- Thank you.
- I think my comment is as much

for the rest of the eight of you left,

that Subha is one to watch right now.

Thank you, Subha.

- Good job, Subha.
- Great job, Subha!

- Really good.
- Everyone thinks that,

you know, I am the Willy Wonka

of "MasterChef" season ten.

But I'm as good as
anyone else out here...

- Well done, Subha.
- ...and today I proved it.

Next up, Noah, please. Let's go.

Noah: Looking down at my dish,

I did exactly what I wanted to do.

I mean, I'm feeling really good.

- ( exhales )
- Joe: Oh, boy.

Gordon: Noah, describe the dish, please.

All right, so what we have
today is a Chinese frittata.

It's on top of a fermented
and anchovy black bean paste,

and around the rim is a vinegar
broccoli rabe yogurt sauce.

This plating is kind of horrendous.

- Um...
- That wouldn't be served

in any restaurant anywhere.

This plating is kind of horrendous.

That wouldn't be served
in any restaurant anywhere.

- What's the protein?
- Pork two ways.

It's in the sauce and I
put it into the frittata.

I respect the Chinese culture,
but you just need to be careful

because a little knowledge is dangerous.

It's a bizarre combination

between the spice and
the kick of the salad.

And then you've got the
dense pork in the middle.

The unappetizing aesthetic
is matched in the flavor.

It's unsophisticated. It's unevolved.

The sauces are out of
balance with the protein.

I think the only way that this
could've potentially been saved

is if you put this in a
tortilla, to be honest.

- Yeah, make a taco.
- Yeah, because you have the bean mixture,

you have eggs, and you have
a red based chili salsa.

Tonight, somebody's going home,

and unfortunately, you've
got one foot out the door

because the dish doesn't make sense.

I said the challenge was hard enough,

but you screwed up
even more by being silly

with a Chinese frittata.

Thank you, Noah.

Damn. He's got so much
more to him than that.

Noah: I'm embarrassed
beyond my wildest dreams.

I feel like I disrespected
my girlfriend's family.

I feel like a complete idiot.

All right, Miss Dorian,
bring a little flavor

of the south down here, please.

Dorian: I'm not happy with my dish.

I'm still not sure if the rice is done,

and anything right
now can send you home.

Miss Dorian, please describe your dish.

This is my smothered herb
peach chicken with rice.

I love the char on the outside

and the roasting of
the skin and all that.

I'm concerned about the cooking
of the rice, to be very honest.

I see the white little specks
in the middle of those granules,

- and it's concerning me.
- Right.

- Shall we taste?
- Yeah.

Sadly, the rice is undercooked

a little bit, but it tastes fantastic.

It's exotic. I love the vanilla.

- I love all the different spices.
- Thank you.

It's interesting. Like he said, it's
sweet. I love the taste of vanilla.

But I expect certain
things from you, Dorian.

It's not true Dorian standard.

What I'm missing in this
dish is the textural play.

I want the chicken,
like, breaded in cornmeal.

I want something to give
that a star standout quality

in a way that feels really authentic

- but elevated.
- Gordon: Yeah.

It's one of your flattest
dishes that you've done.

Okay.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

I think this just goes to show

that the cast-iron skillet
was harder than I think

- anyone thought it would be.
- Gordon: 100%. Without doubt.

Okay, next, Nick.

I thought I should show
something that I grew up making.

So I made for you a clam chowder,

even though I know I like to usually go

with those kind of inventive creations.

I like the color contrast.

I like how smooth and
creamy the soup looks,

but with those little textural
pops on top with the clam shells.

I love it it. This is my favorite
plating of the night, actually.

Thank you.

If that is as good-tasting
as it is looking,

then, yeah, we're in for a treat.

Joe: Let's taste it.

- It's delicious.
- Thank you.

Tastes like a beautiful
New England clam chowder.

I think that the layers of
flavor in here are amazing.

The clam flavor comes
through really nicely.

The worst is when it just
tastes like a pile of green.

- This tastes like seafood.
- A little bit too thick for me.

I think you went a little
bit too heavy on the flour,

but a smart utilization
of that cast-iron pan.

You know your way around
clams, kid. Nice chowder.

- It's great.
- Thank you.

Good job, Nick. Good job.

- Really profound.
- Joe: It was great.

Next up, Shari, please, let's go.

Shari: I'm so excited for
Daphne to taste this curry.

And I think she's going to
be really happy with my dish.

This is something that
if you came to my house,

you might eat this.

Shari, describe the dish please.

I have an Indian style chole,

which is like a chickpea
curry, a drier version,

with garlic naan.

Visually, it looks good.

And how do you cook
chickpea in 60 minutes?

I'm very experienced.

This is like a Tuesday
night dinner at my house.

The naan is delicious.

It's cooked all the way through.

I think the fresh herb
on top is beautiful.

But I want a little yogurt,

something to cool it a little bit.

- That's the only thing that this dish is missing.
- Okay.

So, this is Tuesday night.

What happens on Wednesday night?

- Biryani.
- Because I'm coming Tuesday.

I'm staying Wednesday, too.

- Thursday, Friday, Joe?
- Thursday, Friday, I'm going back to New York

because I can't stay in Minnesota
more than a day and a half.

Thank you, Shari.

Thank you. So nice to meet you.

Next, we'd like to try
Micah's dish. Come on down.

Okay, Micah, what did you make for us?

A pepper crusted filet mignon,
saut?ed fingerling potatoes

with braised kale and
cipollini mushrooms

- with a bourbon shallot sauce.
- Steak and potatoes.

I don't mind a classic presentation,

but I think you should've been
thinking about the color play.

The potatoes plus steak
plus kind of muted brown

feels one-dimensional to me.

- What temp have you gone for in the filet?
- Medium rare, Chef.

It's definitely rare.

- Yeah.
- It's kind of burnt on the outside.

All that pepper is burnt.

That sauce came together really nicely.

However, I'm just not getting
the rich, fatty feeling,

a beautifully charred,
salty, sizzled steak

that you have the opportunity
to get in a cast-iron skillet.

- Thank you.
- I've got this ragged

overcooked beef on the outside,

and slightly dense and
unseasoned on the inside.

I've seen you cook better.

- Way better.
- This dish for me,

it's a series of missteps and mistakes.

Thank you.

Micah: I let myself down.

I thought that my dish
was gonna speak for itself.

But in all honesty, there
was nothing being said by it.

So I could be going home tonight,

and that's a very upsetting thought.

That was a tough challenge this evening.

We now need a moment
to discuss these dishes.

I believe that this is
the first big mistake

that I've made in this competition.

Noah's dish, at this point,
it's not cutting the mustard.

But for me to get sent home right now

would be devastating.

- Micah, the dish went wrong.
- Oh, it was terrible.

- It was terrible.
- Bri's dish, nothing...

nothing nailed it for me on that dish.

- It's a brutal night.
- Ready?

- Yeah. Good.
- Indeed.

Gordon: Let's go.

We're down to the last eight,

and sadly tonight for one of you,

you've cooked for the very last time

inside this incredible kitchen.

Well, in better news,
one of you is gonna have

their recipe featured on
the Family Circle website.

And that dish was cooked by...

Subha.

- Oh, my God.
- Well done, Subha!

- Well done, well done.
- For tonight's winning recipe,

- Oh, thank you, sir.
- Great job, Subha.

Aar?n: Subha, your dish,
it told a beautiful story.

In Spanish the word suba

means to go
up... subir.

So why don't you subir up
to the balcony, my friend?

- Okay? Good job.
- Thank you, Chef.

- Great job, Subha.
- Good job.

Subha: I am amazed.

This is the kind of news
I want to tell my wife.

She is going to be so proud of me.

I'm on cloud nine.

Young man, you have now put
shrimp biryani on the map.

Yeah, shrimp biryani in one pot.

Okay, guys, we were also impressed

by three more home cooks tonight.

Sarah, Nick, Shari,

your dishes were thoughtful
and also very good.

Dorian, tonight was not
your best performance.

But it was certainly enough
to keep you from going home.

Please, go to the balcony
and put on your white aprons.

- Well done.
- Congratulations.

Noah: Good job, Dorian.

To be in the top
seven, it feels amazing.

But it was way too close for me.

So under no circumstances
am I gonna get comfortable,

because I'm here to win. I'm a fighter.

Gordon: At this stage
of the competition,

we expected more from all three of you.

This challenge was all about
utilizing the cast-iron pan.

Bri, the dish was lackluster,
and it didn't strike us

that you maximized that
input from that cast-iron pan.

Noah, tonight that little
knowledge from China confused you,

because you didn't
play to your strengths.

You had no control.

Micah, I'm not saying
that you took it lightly,

but you took a big risk
just cooking a filet.

It needed to be elevated, and honestly,

it wasn't even cooked properly.

Based on the dish alone,

the home cook that is
going home tonight is...

this is a shock for us...

Bri.

Noah and Micah, head upstairs.

Micah: I'm definitely
treading on thin ice tonight,

and I just wasn't the worst,
and that's why I'm here.

Moving forward, I have
to really step it up

because I definitely
could've gone home tonight.

Gordon: Oh, Bri.

You left us with no option this evening

because the salmon was raw.

Your plating is incredible.

And one thing that is
definitely confirmed,

- you have a future in food. Come on.
- Thank you.

I can promise you that
I won't stop cooking

and, um, I've learned a lot.

Noah: Awesome, Bri. Awesome.

Come and say good-bye, young lady.

Bri: It's really hard
to walk away right now,

but I've really had some high points

throughout this journey.

Congratulations, Blue team!

( cheering )

Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

- You dress food beautifully. It's like your hair.
- Thank you.

- There's not a hair out of place.
- With that being said,

this competition is definitely

the hardest thing I've ever done.

The dessert for me is
an insult to France.

But I think I've shown
enough of my strengths

as the best plater of the competition.

The whole thing screams of umami.

- Very satisfying.
- Thank you so much.

And I think I'm more ready now

to go into that culinary world,

and I think it's really
just the beginning.

- Bye, Bri.
- Bye, guys.

Gordon: Wow.

Now, you talented seven,
you need to keep fighting

so you don't go home before your time.

Get some sleep. Good night.

Good night, Chefs. Good
night, Joe. Good night, Daphne.

Shari: Nice to meet you, Daphne.

( music playing )